[Coco] The early days of Hacking and Coding a CoCo Was: Here's a CoCo 1 ...

[Aaron Wolfe]

On Jan 20, 2014 10:34 PM, "Bill Loguidice" <bill at armchairarcade.com> wrote:
>
> Agreed. Even though we'd love 100% computer literacy as it were, we need
to
> face the reality that not everyone has the interest or inclination in
doing
> things that require an actual computer. That would be like asking me to
fix
> my car. I have no interest, so I let someone else do it.

I disagree with this example, and perhaps that is the crux of things.

I don't see this as like asking someone to fix a car, its more akin to
asking one to be able to read and write.  This allows a person who wants to
fix cars to learn about them, another to learn about gardening or history
or whatever it is that does interest them.  Nobody would argue that domain
specific knowledge is valuable to everyone, but most would agree the common
skills needed to obtain *any* knowledge are important.

Computers provide a new medium that is more powerful than paper in its
capabilities, but much more importantly it empowers anyone to publish,
create and share in ways that paper simply cannot.  Turning people into
mere consumers without powerful creation tools and the knowledge to use
them is shameful.  It's no better in my eyes than the middle age church and
priests who controlled printing  and forbade citizens from reading
themselves.  After all, who needs to read when they can just go to their
local church and have the priest read what the priest thinks they should
hear?

PS wont write yet another email but I agree with your comments on the
Surface Pro.   They are very powerful machines that do not force the
compromises found in other tablets, and I also carry one in place of all
other gadgets (when I have to carry something).